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The value in Registering AND Insuring your parcels.

I've just sold my K5 to a gent in Victoria and sent it to his suburban PO box.

It was posted 23/10/2012 and hadn't arrived as of yesterday.

I did a 'track' on the Registered Post No. and was somewhat surprised to see that it had been delivered on 25/10/2012.

Yes, it was delivered, from the wrong Post Office, to the wrong person.

The parcel was dropped at the wrong Post Office, and when the box holder at the wrong PO got a card saying they had a parcel to collect, it was given to them and they signed for it in a different name to the addressee.

I don't think it is on the level rocket science technology to look at a clearly marked address label and see that the item is at the wrong Post Office.

Anyway I've started an investigation so I hope it gets sorted quickly and the guy gets his camera in the same pristine condition I sent it to him in.

The bottom line ! I sent it Registered AND insured for it's value, so if things do go 'base over apex' I'm covered.

There was a story of this ilk on TV recently, where they caught the (lack of) character that was "receiving" the wayward goods.
I hope the malefactors get their just desserts: carp (anagram) pie would suit them!
Am (waiting on more of this tale).

I got a call from the Post Office that shouldn't have received the parcel assuring me that all scans were kosha, and that they followed AusPost protocol to the letter, and delivered the parcel to the right person.

When I pointed out that they were not the designated PO on the address label, and that nobody in their shop noticed that minor discrepancy, their attitude changed from supercilious to sort of helpful.

They conceded that there may have been a slip-up, and said that they would contact the holder of the PO box, right number, wrong Post Office, and try to get the parcel returned.

We (me and the guy whose K5 is lost in 'AusPost Land') are awaiting an up-date.

I hope for their sakes that they find the parcel pronto, because if I have to lodge an insurance claim I'm sure the heavies from the insurance Co. will not be as co-operative as I've been.

Australia Post do not have a great record of late where I live. They had been delivering the odd letter and parcel to the incorrect address for the past SIX years. Yes that's right, SIX years. The lady at that address drops my stuff off, and I drop her stuff off. Australia Post just do nothing. So, good luck with that!

Oh, my problems with Australia Post started when they sacked my postman. He apparently punched his supervisor. He was a GREAT postman though. He'd see you down the street and say hello by name.
When my mail stared going astray I wanted to punch his supervisor too.

Getting back to your issue, I always insure my camera gear when I send it off on the post too. Never lose stuff going away, only when it's coming back. Do you know who Australia Post insure with? I've not had to claim because it is the sender who has to do that, but I suspect they carry their own risk. That probably won't help.

Their online tracking service is hopeless as well. I have had items say the tracking number doesn't exist, and then have the item turn up, with the exact tracking number on it that doesn't exist, or items delivered only to see that 2-3 days later their tracking service still says it is 'in transit' between States. Or the best one, that it had been delivered and signed for, when in reality it was sitting on the floor in their Hobart East Depot, and had been for 3 days cause the driver for my area kept running out of room in his van for all his deliveries, so he just left a heap of deliveries in the depot for days. After they finally found that one I was told it could be delivered within a day or two, I drove to their depot and collected it myself.

"It is one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it is another thing to make a portrait of who they are" - Paul Caponigro

What you describe Rick is pretty much what was happening here with parcel delivery. They contracted out their parcel delivery. Someone sitting in an office in Melbourne set delivery times per item and these were written into the contracts. Unfortunately they weren't achievable. A classic example of incorrect performance measures leading to incorrect outcomes. What would happen would be the drivers logging the parcel as "no-one in attendance" and taking them back to the depot. No card in the letterbox because he didn't even attempt to deliver. The post office holding the parcel would then send you a reminder a week later if you hadn't collected the item. The contractor here wasn't paying his staff so they went on strike and left all the parcels locked in the van for two days. The contractor was eventually terminated and staff starting delivering the backlog.

Sorry to hijack your post trueblu. I'll leave it there and wish you the best of luck.

I must admit I've never had a problem with Auspost.... I always send my items Platinum post with the relevant insurance ...I want all my posted items to be signed for and have tracking..to protect me and my buyer...this is a cost built in to all my ebay transaction and when a buyer asks for cheaper postage I decline .

Don';t hold your breath Kevin. Make the insurance claim, and ring them every day until they pay up. Post your dissatisfaction all over their web presence and anywhere else you can find. It will take a while but when you more trouble than its worth for them, they'll pay up. Go to your local member too.

It is about not getting what you pay for, it is about the indolence of some people working in 'service' industries, it is about letting people who don't give a stuff about others know that they are not always going to get away with it.

I've recently been through a similar experience to Rick with Auspost's so called tracking system. I had a tracking number, which gave no information what so ever, the parcel eventually turned up on my doorstep. Auspost are a bit of a joke by comparison with DHL and Fedex, I reckon.

And I have to agree with TruBlubiker, there's way too many people in this world who don't give a continental about doing their job properly. Hope this all gets sorted, cheers Deb

Newspaper / Current Affairs show / Facebook / Google+ - spread the word FAR AND WIDE. This is simply not good enough. I always register and insure and ask for signature for valuable stuff too. However, I recently went up to our PO to get a parcel which clearly said it had to be signed for, and as they know us they didn't ask for ID. But they should, in every case. I had anoother one delivered, and as we have the screen door open but locked, she just called out 'parcel at the door' and nicked off when I called out from upsrtairs I was coming down - that one had signature required on it too. Wonder if they sign for you when they get back to the truck? If it says check recipient's ID & get a signature that's what should be done. As you say, it is not Rocket Science to match a name and address from the ID to the one on the card.

Has anyone used any of the private parecel services like Pack and Send?

actually DHL are ninnys too...last friday they tried to deliver my new Manfrotto tripod head..no one home so they didn't leave it...fair enough....so the card says hop online and put a new drop off time in or pick up from the depo ( also not open saturday) !!.....so I asked for it to left in my absence..as the card told me...I was also told to leave the card at the drop point, which I had indicated to be my front door under the verandah...DHL said that if the card wasn't at the drop point with my name and sig the parcel wouldn't be left.... so guess what ...the package was at the back door on the aircon...and the card is still at the front door on top of a little table..where I said it would be .

parcel deliveries by their very nature are fraught with danger..due to most in that industry not giving a hoot ...or not being able to read properly or follow instruction